Frequently asked questions

General

Should drives be recorded on the teen or parent/supervisor’s phone?

Normally the teen driver records the drives on their phone. This helps makes sure that the distraction monitors are working for the actual driver as opposed to a parent in the passenger seat. The teen can also view a digital speed display on the phone itself with warnings when accelerating too quickly or braking too hard. This is only advised if the phone is placed in a good viewing location that won’t distract and if the teen is capable of safely viewing the phone screen while driving. Drives should not be recorded simultaneously on different phones logged into the same account. While multiple phones can use the app and record drives, only one can record at a time.



How is my total score calculated?

The total score is based on how often the driver brakes harshly, accelerates quickly, drives distracted and speeds (upgrade required). The severity of the incident will reduce the score more but can heal over time when driving without incident. You can read the FAQs about Braking, Acceleration, Distraction and Speeds to learn more about how each specific score is calculated.



How is the braking score calculated?

Incidents reduce both the Brake and Overall Score. The harsher the braking, the more the score is lowered. The score will improve steadily from driving without any incidents. Sometimes you may need to brake hard to stay safe and it may impact your score but most of the time, smoother is better.

With the ASD upgrade, additional monitors for hard braking near a traffic light or stop sign will also lower the score.



How is the acceleration score calculated?

Hard accelerations incidents will reduce both the Accel and Overall Score. The faster the acceleration, the more it is lowered. The score will improve steadily from driving without any incidents. Sometimes you may need to accelerate hard to stay safe and it may impact your score but most of the time, smoother is better. With the ASD upgrade, additional monitors for hard accels near a traffic light will also lower the score.



How is the distraction score calculated?

Anytime the screen or buttons are pushed while a drive is recording, the incident will be counted as a distraction and lower the Distraction and Overall Scores. The higher the speed when the distraction occurs, the more the score is lowered. The number of incoming and outgoing calls is recorded but does not impact the scores.



How is the speeding score calculated?

With the purchase of the Advanced Street Data ASD subscription, the Speed Score and Overall Score is reduced by the amount and time over the speed limit. The score will improve steadily from driving at or below the speed limit as long as other incidents don’t occur. Speeding near and through traffic lights and rolling through stop signs will also lower the score. If you have not upgraded to ASD, monitors will show “- -“



What do I get when purchasing the Advanced Street Data?

Subscription available for in-app purchase for $5 per month that unlocks the Speed score and enhances the Acceleration and Braking scores. ​ SPEEDING Records actual speed using smartphone GPS Compares to actual posted limits using location lookup Get stats like max and average speeds over limit Score is adjusted for duration and amount over limits Detects speeding through traffic lights and rolling stops ​ ​ ACCELERATION / BRAKING Adjusts score for hard brake or acceleration near traffic lights Hard braking can mean a light was almost run Accelerating can mean a light was actually run



What are the arrows on the dashboard view?

Indicates the trend of your last few drives to the past few days. Will only provide a trend after you have several drives recorded and requires in-app-purchase upgrade for speed trending.



When do hours count as Night Hours?

Drives are automatically logged toward night hours as required by your state. Night is determined by the location of your drive and begins at approximately 30 minutes after the official sunset time. If your state does not require night hours, the app will not show Night Hours.



Is my location shared or used for other purposes?

No, we believe your information is your information. Anonymized data on the aggregate can be shared for research and marketing purposes but your privacy is protected.



How do I create or edit a trip?

Once a trip is recorded you may edit it as a parent/supervisor or teen. The drive will show “USER EDIT” to indicate it has been altered from the original. New drives can be created and will also say “USER EDIT.”



What do I do if I forgot to record a trip or it didn't save properly?

New drives can be created and will also say “USER EDIT.” Please contact support@motolingo.com if drives are not saving properly.



How does weather indicator work?

GPS location is used to look up weather conditions in a weather service at the end of each drive and added to the trip in the app. The purpose is to make sure new teen drivers have practiced driving in different weather conditions. If your drive encountered different conditions or other conditions while driving that you would like to record, you can edit the drive and/or create new drives with different weather conditions.



Can I create a report of my driving hours for getting my license?

Yes, you can find the report generator in the menu in the app.



Can I disable the automatic reports that are emailed?

Yes, you can unsubscribe within the email. You will need to contact support@motolingo.com to resubscribe.



Can I use the app after I finish my learner’s permit / Graduated Drivers License requirements?

Yes, the first solo drives without supervision can be an important time to keep coaching and monitoring to show the importance of driving safely.



Parent / Supervisor

How can parents/supervisors view driving scores and hours driven?

Parents/supervisors can download the same app and login with teen’s email and password to view the same information as the teen.



Teen

How do I use the app?

Record drives for your state and automatically keep track of progress totals while getting feedback on how to improve. See scores on the areas that are most likely to cause an accident: braking for tailgating, accelerating for aggressiveness, distractions and speeding compared to posted limits, stop signs and intersection red light running. Generate a log of drives when complete and use to get the license (as allowed by state). Continue using the app after getting a license for the first solo drives without supervision and beyond for peace of mind and continued coaching.



How do I manage battery power?

We recommend that the device be plugged into a charger while using the app. The battery consumption is similar to GPS navigation apps. Put the phone into sleep mode to reduce power required to display the screen. This is optional and doesn’t provide the driver feedback on speed and braking/acceleration incidents.



Why do I need to enable location services?

The app uses GPS to calculate the scores, to automatically stop a drive if not moving for several minutes and to determine weather encountered on the trip.